


i knock the ice from my bones

by hopeless_hope



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Drowning, F/M, Family Vacation, Father-Son Relationship, Hurt Peter Parker, Hurt/Comfort, Hypothermia, Jealousy, Precious Peter Parker, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Whump, because I said so, mj & peter are good at dancing and skating, morgan is jealous of mj, tony and peter are just trying their best
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-15
Updated: 2020-02-15
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:47:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22732024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hopeless_hope/pseuds/hopeless_hope
Summary: Peter tries to move his legs through the water, dread filling him when they don’t move, and he just hangs there, doing anything and everything he can not to focus on the feeling of ice clinging to his bones. He feels sluggish, the world blurring around him, and he rests his head on the ice, not even registering the cold anymore.He’s just so damn tired.“PETER!” he hears someone yell, but it’s all muffled, and he lazily drags his eyes up to see a figure descending towards him.Somewhere, in the back of his mind, he thinks,This is not how my vacation was supposed to go.orWhile on what's supposed to be a relaxing vacation with the Starks, things for Peter quickly go south, and he finds himself on thin ice. Literally.
Relationships: Michelle Jones/Peter Parker, Peter Parker & Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 36
Kudos: 644





	i knock the ice from my bones

**Author's Note:**

  * For [bethy_277](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bethy_277/gifts).



> Title taken from the song "All the King's Horses" by Karmina. Fic based off That Scene in Little Women.
> 
> Written for the prompt: Peter with hypothermia.

“Are we there yet?” Morgan whines for what must be the tenth time in the last hour, and Tony groans, though it lacks any real irritation.

“No, baby, we still have another hour left,” Tony says patiently, and she wiggles in her seat next to Peter, barely paying attention to the movie playing in front of her. “Thank God,” he adds, muttering the words under his breath.

“You’re weak, Stark,” MJ tells him, and Peter hides a smile, leaning contendly against her on the spacious couch.

They’ve been packed into the spacious RV for the better part of two days, and now that they’re closer to the destination, Peter can’t help the way his stomach leaps with excitement.

_ Finally,  _ he thinks.  _ A whole entire week of freedom. _

Initially, when Tony had proposed the trip, Peter was hesitant. Even though it was his winter break, the thought of leaving New York without Spider-Man for a week was enough to make him pause. And  _ of course  _ he wanted to go on vacation with Tony, especially since the man was kind enough to invite MJ and May along as well. But he didn’t want to leave Queens vulnerable.

Tony, upon hearing Peter’s dilemma, simply opened up his phone and called Sam Wilson.

“Hey, birdbrain, can you do me a favor?” Tony had asked.

“Not when you call me that,” Sam muttered in response before sighing. “Fine. What?”

“Do you think you and Barnes can chill in Queens in a couple of weeks? I’m trying to plan a nice family vacation but Peter’s an unwilling party. Something about ‘Queens will die without me.’”

Peter glared at him, narrowing his eyes at Tony’s embellishment of his words, and Tony simply winked.

Sam laughed. “Sure thing, Stark. I mean, I’m wounded that you didn’t invite me to your sweet family get-together but I understand. You can’t handle all my gushy goodness.”

“Yeah, especially when you talk like that,” Tony said, making a face. “Anyway, thanks. I’ll send you the dates.”

“Sounds good, homie. Good luck with the children,” Sam laughed, knowing firsthand what a handful Morgan can, especially when she convinces Peter to play along with her antics.

“Thanks, I’ll need it,” Tony replied before hanging up and looking at Peter. “There,” he said triumphantly. “It’s all settled.”

And even though Peter felt bad asking Sam and Bucky - even though it wasn’t even really him who asked - to cover for him for a week, Peter was thrilled to be going. He was even more thrilled to have May and MJ along for the ride, and he made a mental note to do something kind for Tony in thanks.

“I’m not weak,” Tony protests. “I’m merely… ready to have some space. Breathe in some cool Canadian air. Maybe ice skate away as far as possible.”

“That’s fine,” Pepper says mildly from where she’s sitting on a small cozy lounge chair across from May, a magazine open in her lap. “That’s one less kid for me to take care of.”

Tony gives her an affronted look as everyone else laughs. “Now that’s just rude. Completely uncalled for, if I say so myself. Which I do.”

“Mr. Stark, weren’t you playing Hangman during a meeting earlier this week, and all your words were curse words?” Peter asks innocently, and MJ snorts. Tony turns to look at him, betrayed.

“Oi, I told you that in confidence,” Tony pouts, now looking nervously at Pepper, who just shakes her head in exasperation.

“You are incorrigible,” she tells him, but her eyes are twinkling with fond amusement.

Morgan, evidently tired of watching  _ Frozen  _ on her tablet, tosses it aside and climbs onto Peter’s lap. Peter, used to Morgan’s clinginess, just takes it in stride, sending MJ an apologetic smile when they’re forced to separate in order to make room for the fidgety child.

“You excited, Mo?” Peter asks, already knowing the answer. She nods vigorously.

“We’re gonna go ice skating!” she exclaims, and Peter grins.

“We sure are,” Peter confirms. “And we’re going to watch your dad fall on his face, and then I’m going to post a video of it online.”

Morgan’s face brightens. “Oh, and then it’ll be on TV like that one time!” she exclaims enthusiastically, referring to the time Peter recorded Tony reacting to a few harmless practical jokes and posted the videos online. A compilation of them had made it to the news the next day, and Morgan was absolutely delighted.

(Tony was just glad that if she had to see his face on the news, it was for something as little as a goofy video, and not some sort of made-up scandal or Missing Person report.)

“Happy, turn this thing around,” Tony orders. “I’m being bullied.”

“A little bullying is good for the soul, boss,” Happy tells him, and Tony narrows his eyes at him.

“FRIDAY, pull up articles about the effects of bullying on mental health,” Tony says, and despite that fact that they’re surrounded by thick trees and snow, the AI has no trouble promptly pulling up numerous studies.

“I meant for you specifically,” Happy hastily adds with a smirk, and Tony huffs when no one comes to his aid.

The last hour of the trip is filled with a litany of Morgan’s, “Are we there yet? What about now? Mommy, how much longer? Why couldn’t we just fly a bunch of daddy’s suits?” and Tony thanks his years of acquired patience for getting him through it.

When they finally pull up to the spacious cabin, Tony lets out a sigh of relief.  _ Note to self,  _ he thinks,  _ being on the road for three days with a six year old should be avoided at all costs.  _ But as he watches the girl rush out of the van with a big smile on her face, Tony chides himself for being so dramatic. He knows he’d go through another  _ year _ on the road if it meant making her smile like that.

_ You’re such a sap, Stark,  _ he tells himself, before shaking his head, stepping out of the van, and breathing in the crisp, cool air.

He hasn’t been back here in a long time, and looking around, Tony wonders why that is. It’s  _ breathtaking.  _ There’s a sort of fragile beauty to the space around them, trees standing still with snow-frosted branches. Down a short path is a large pond frozen over, and Tony knows it’s only a matter of time before its surface is scraped up from hours of ice skating.

Morgan wastes no time before running up to the cabin’s porch, practically skipping with enthusiasm, while everyone else shuffles out of the big van at a much more tame pace.

“Thanks for driving us, Happy,” Peter says gratefully as he pulls his suitcase out, and Happy gives him a fond look.

“Anytime, kid,” the man responds, before pausing. “On second thought - maybe not anytime soon.”

“Aw, shucks, I wanted to go to California after this,” Peter pouts, and May comes up behind him and ruffles his hear.

“Honey, we’re not harassing Happy again, are we?” May asks.

“I would never,” Peter says innocently, and Happy rolls his eyes.

“Yeah, that’ll be the day,” Happy snarks, and Peter laughs.

“Happy, you look exhausted,” Pepper comments. “I’m about to go make lunch. Why don’t you take a nap or something while we unpack and cook?”

“Don’t mind if I do,” he says, looking relieved, before grabbing his bags and heading to where Tony’s followed an excited Morgan into the spacious cabin.

“Mrs. Potts, me and Peter can get you and May’s bags inside if you want to go ahead and start cooking,” MJ offers, and Peter gives her an accusing look.

“I tried to offer the same thing for you, but I got a lecture about how chivalry is inherently misogynistic!” Peter protests.

“It’s different when it’s a female to another female,” MJ says with a smirk.

Pepper gives them a look of amusement. “That would be lovely, thank you, sweetheart,” Pepper responds gratefully.

“Mommy, come look at the toilet! If you wave your hand in front of it, the lid opens all by itself!” Morgan yells excitedly, and Pepper shakes her head.

“I think that’s my cue,” she says, before also heading into the cabin with a cooler of ingredients they’d stopped to buy on the way. 

“Thank you, honey,” May says gratefully, giving MJ a small squeeze and pressing a kiss to Peter’s head in thanks before following after her.

For a moment, Peter and MJ don’t move. They just take in their surroundings, shivering slightly in the cold air, but not quite ready for the warmth of the cabin. Peter steps closer to MJ, looping an arm around her waist, still not over the fact that he gets to  _ do  _ that.

“What?” MJ asks, eyebrows raised. “You’ve got that dopey look on your face.”

Peter grins at her. “Nothing,” he tells her. “Just happy to be here.” But something must show on his face - in fact, he’s practically glowing - and MJ rolls her eyes.

“You’re such a sap,” she mutters, but Peter can’t help but notice she’s wrapped her arm around him, too.

“Guilty,” Peter admits. “I mean, look around us,” he says, gesturing to the property. “How lucky am I to be here with Tony and May and everyone. And my two best girls? I’m thriving.”

MJ smiles softly. “We  _ are _ lucky,” she admits. Then she shifts away, fidgeting slightly, and Peter’s brow furrows. 

“Everything okay?” he asks.

“Yeah, I just… It’s not a big deal or anything, but I don’t think Morgan likes me,” MJ tells him, and Peter balks at that.

“What? What makes you say that?” he demands.

She shrugs. “Well, for one, she didn’t say a single word to me the whole drive up here.”

“What?” Peter repeats, racking his brain. “I’m sure she did. At, like… some point,” he trails off, faltering, because now that he thinks about it, he doesn’t actually remember Morgan and MJ interacting at all.

“See?” she asks, watching the realization dawn on his face.

“Yeah... “ Peter says consideringly. “But she doesn’t know you as well, so I bet she’s just being shy.”

“Yeah? Wonder who she got that from,” MJ says mildly, and Peter grimaces. Morgan is Tony and Pepper’s child. Shy isn’t really in her personality, save for a few rare occasions.

“I’m sure she’ll warm up to you soon,” Peter promises, not seeing any reason why she wouldn’t. Feeling kind of bad for focusing on Morgan for so much of the drive, Peter looks at MJ and says, “Well… Tony’s probably occupying Morgan, and May and Pepper are cooking while Happy naps… what do you say we test out the ice?”

MJ grins. “Bet you’ll be the first to fall.”

Peter bends down to pick up all the bags, double checking he has everyone’s belongings, before turning to MJ. “Yeah, you’re probably right,” he concedes.

They quickly make their way inside the large cabin, and Peter immediately turns to MJ with a smile. The place is somehow the perfect mixture of modern and homey, the wooden walls and deep red carpets, making the place feel warm and cozy. He catches a glimpse of the spacious living room, noting that someone’s already gotten a fire going.

He’ll definitely be spending some time curled up on a chair in front of it later. But for now, Peter just drops May and Pepper’s bags off at their respective rooms before crossing the hall to where his and MJ’s rooms are side by side.

“Meet you back out here in ten?” Peter asks.

“Five,” MJ says, and Peter laughs.

“Yeah, okay. Five’s good.”

MJ winks before taking her bag and disappearing into her room, and Peter does the same. His room isn’t particularly large, but the bed is big and there’s a cozy chair in the corner, although Peter suspects he won’t be spending too much time cooped up in his room. He slings his suitcase onto the bed and decides that unpacking can be done later.

For now, he pulls out a thicker winter coat, gloves, a scarf, and another pair of socks. Even that moment outside the van was enough to send a chill through his bones, and he knows he’s got to be careful. He still remembers the first time he figured out he inherited the spider’s inability to thermoregulate… He shivers. He definitely doesn’t want a repeat of that.

Peter grabs his skates with a thrill of anticipation. He and MJ often go to the skating rink in the city, and he’s excited for the chance to skate on a real lake with even better scenery. He slings them over his shoulders and meets MJ in the hall with a happy grin.

They stop by the kitchen on their way out, where May is chopping up some vegetables. She turns and smiles when she sees MJ and Peter all bundled up.

“Hitting the ice already?” she asks.

“What else am I supposed to do?”

“Help your poor aunt cook?” May suggests jokingly.

“You really  _ do  _ need help cooking,” Peter teases, referencing her subpar cooking skills. She swats him with a dish towel, and Pepper laughs from where she’s stirring the contents of a pot on the stove.

“Away with you!” May commands. “But be careful, honey. The ice might not be completely solid.”

“That’s part of the reason we’re going out now. Wanna make sure it’s safe before I take Morgan out on the ice,” Peter admits, and May smiles fondly.

“You’re a good big brother,” she tells him, and Peter smiles shyly and gives her a kiss on the cheek before turning to MJ.

“Ready?” he asks her.

“I was born ready,” she tells him, and they quickly head down the hall.

They turn a corner, and a small figure nearly runs into him, followed by a breathless-looking Tony. “Whoa! Slow down, Mo, you know your dad can’t keep up with you. He’s too old.”

Tony glares at him as Morgan giggles. She gestures to Peter, who leans down so she can whisper loudly into his ear. “His knees pop a lot when he stands,” Morgan informs him, and Tony scowls as Peter laughs.

“Like Rice Krispies?”

“Like Rice Krispies,” Morgan confirms.

“Maybe later you can help me work out a cure for his oldness,” Peter suggests, and Morgan’s eyes light up.

“Oi! I’m right here,” Tony cuts in, a look of mock offense on his face.

“All things you probably need to hear, I’m sure,” MJ says with amusement, and Tony narrows his eyes at her.

“You’re on thin ice,” he warns.

“That’s the opposite of what we’re going for,” Peter jokes, gesturing to his skates.

“I wondered how long it’d take you guys to get out there,” Tony comments, and Peter gives him a sheepish look. For the past year or so, he and MJ have been going to the local rink, sometimes accompanied by Ned, who’s much clumsier on the ice. But Peter’s agility and MJ’s background with dance only serves to help them.

“Wait, I wanna come!” Morgans says, looking at Peter with big eyes. “You  _ promised  _ me you’d teach me how to skate!”

“Of course I will,” Peter says soothingly. “But me and MJ have to check to make sure the ice is safe.”

“But why does  _ she  _ get to go with you?” Morgan says, giving MJ an uncharacteristically scornful look. Peter blinks at her, completely taken aback. He’s never seen Morgan be anything but sweet.

“Morgan!” Tony says, equally as shocked. “MJ and Peter are both experienced on the ice - you are not, Little Miss.”

Morgan crosses her arms and pouts. “It’s not fair! She gets to do  _ everything  _ with you,” Morgan whines, and Peter’s face clears with understanding.

_ Ah,  _ he thinks.  _ She’s jealous. _

Peter looks up at MJ, whose expression has schooled itself into one of indifference, and Peter gives her an apologetic look before reaching out a placating hand to Morgan.

“MJ is my girlfriend, Morgan,” he says patiently. “We do a lot of things together, and it makes me happy.”

“But what about me?” Morgan asks in a small voice.

“We do a lot of things together, too, and it makes me happy. Just like later, we’re going to make iron snowman, and I’m going to teach you how to skate once I know it’s safe,” Peter promises. But it’s still not enough for the moody girl, who shrugs out of his grip and scowls at him.

“I want to go  _ now, _ ” Morgan demands, and Peter gives Tony a helpless look.

Tony steps in then. “Morgan, the answer is no,” Tony says sternly. “And I think you owe MJ an apology.”

Morgan stomps her foot. “No!” she yells, turning on her heel and running out of the room, and Tony scrapes a tired hand over his face. Peter just looks after her with a shocked look.

“I have no idea what’s gotten into her. MJ, I am so sorry,” Tony says earnestly. “She’s probably overtired from all the traveling.”

MJ raises an eyebrow at him. “She’s not tired, she’s jealous,” MJ says bluntly.

Tony sighs, nodding. “Yeah, you’re right. I’ll talk to her. Or maybe have Pep talk to her. She’ll come around.” He lets out another big breath and looks at them. “But hey - don’t let her ruin your fun. You two goofs go have some fun, okay?”

Peter nods and gives Tony a small smile, wrapping an arm around MJ. “See you for lunch,” Peter tells him, trying to ignore how conflicted he feels.

He and MJ quietly walk out, much more subdued now, and Peter swears he would die for Morgan, but he can’t help but be a mixture of annoyed and guilty.  _ Maybe I should have seen this coming,  _ Peter thinks to himself. Although MJ’s been to Tony’s place, Morgan’s never had to outright share Peter, and Peter supposes it’s hard for her to understand.

All he wanted was a nice vacation with some of his favorite people in the world in one place. Was that really so much to ask for?

Next to him, MJ sighs and nudges him fondly. “I can practically hear you moping, Parker,” she teases lightly. “I put up with Flash Thompson on the daily, I think I can handle a kid not liking me.”

“Yeah, but it’s not how I  _ wanted  _ it to be,” Peter protests, frustrated. They stop by the garage to pull out the large ice auger before making their way to the edge of the lake.

“Thought you’d be used to life not going how you wanted,” MJ comments wryly.

“Well, yeah,” Peter sighs, “But it’d be nice for  _ some  _ things to work out for once,” he pouts, knowing he’s acting kind of childish but not entirely caring.

MJ reaches out and ruffles his hair affectionately. “Life sucks, but it’s not all a bust, yeah? We’re here. All of us, together. That’s something.”

Peter brightens, smiles at her. “Aw, hopeful MJ is my favorite,” he teases, and she shoves him lightly.

“Oh, shut up,” she says, rolling her eyes and taking the auger from him. “Come on, let’s check the ice.”

Being the lighter of the two, MJ slowly stretches her foot out onto the ice, cautiously adding all of her weight to it. She lets out a breath when it easily holds, though she’s still not far from the edge. “It feels pretty sturdy right here,” she comments before turning the auger on and drilling into the ice.

Once she feels the ice give, she takes a measuring tape from her pocket and feeds it down the hole she just created. She reads the measurement and looks up at Peter. “It’s a little over five inches,” she announces. “We should be good to go. For the edges, at least. Lemme test closer to the center real quick.”

“Be careful,” Peter warns, watching her intently.

Proceeding with caution, MJ slowly makes her way towards the center, stopping at regular intervals to measure. She stops before she makes it all the way there. “It dips just below four inches here!” she calls, already making her way back. “What do you think?” she asks Peter.

“I think we’ll be fine if we stay closer to the edges,” he decides, after a moment of thought. “We’ll make sure not to cross through the middle. Plus, it’s supposed to get super cold tonight - might freeze up the lake more for another day.”

MJ nods in agreement, bending down to tug her skates on as Peter does the same. They barely wobble as they step out onto the ice. MJ glides backwards looking at Peter as he gets his bearings. 

“Come on, slowpoke!” she yells, and he gives her an indignant look.

“Who are you calling slow?” Peter grins and gains momentum, rushing at her, and they glide side by side across the ice, careful not to stray too close to the middle as they make their way to the other side of the pond.

As they circle back around to where they started, Peter spins on his heel to face MJ, holding out a hand with a small bow. “May I have this dance, m’lady?”

MJ smiles fondly, and skates closer to him, taking his gloved hand in hers. “Always, dork.”

Between MJ’s years of dance experience and Peter’s agility, they make a fine team, gliding around each other, showing off a pirouette, and spinning through the air. It’s not perfect, and at one point, Peter wobbles on a landing and falls. MJ laughs, offering her hand out to haul him back up.

Peter looks out to where the pond narrows into the woods. “Think that’ll hold us?” he asks MJ, pointing.

“Probably,” she shrugs. “It’s more shallow so it’s probably frozen through. Let’s find out.”

With that, they leave the bulk of the pond, carefully following the frozen trail of water into the trees, dodging low-hanging branches as they go. Ever the romantic, Peter catches up to MJ and grabs her from behind, effortlessly picking her up and spinning her around.

“Peter!” she yells, startled but laughing nevertheless. He puts her down and she swats at him in retaliation. He jumps out of the way, laughing loudly as they dance around each other.

They’re so busy tossing back playful taunts that Peter almost doesn’t hear it. But when he does, every cell in his body freezes:

The sound of a loud crack and a piercing scream.

Peter and MJ look at each other with wide eyes, Peter feels like the air’s been knocked out of him. “ _ Morgan!” _

They don’t hesitate before racing back down the narrow path, branches hitting them as they go, and Peter’s heart stops when he emerges from the wooded area and looks out across the pond to see a hole in the middle and arms flailing in the water. MJ, ever the quick thinker, doubles back a couple feet to tear a long branch off a tree and pass it to Peter.

“Shit!” Peter swears, moving past MJ, feeling clumsy in his haste to reach the kid. “Morgan!”

“Peter, be careful!” MJ yells. “You’re too heavy!”

Peter pauses just enough to remember to slow down, but otherwise makes no indication that he’s heard her. If he weren’t panicking so hard, maybe he’d stop to think that MJ would be better suited for this task, since she’s the lighter of the two.

“Morgan!” he yells again as he approaches the child, falling onto his stomach to spread out his wait. Morgan’s clumsy hands are trying to search for purchase on the ice’s edge, but her hands slip and she’s left kicking again.

“Peter!’ she screams, and the sound chills Peter to the bones far more than the ice does.

“I’m here, baby, I’m here,” Peter says holding the branch out. “Hold onto this for me, okay?”

He watches anxious as she tries to grab the branch with her freezing hands. He breathes out a sigh of relief when she seems to get a grip, and he says, “Morgan, hold on tight, okay?” and begins to pull the branch back towards him slowly.

She’s almost half out of the water, crying and whining for Peter, when her grip slips and she falls back into the water with a cry. Peter curses, sparing a look to MJ, who’s standing cautiously behind him. Her gloves are off, phone in hand as she talks into it hurriedly.

“MJ,” Peter snaps, getting her attention. “I can’t - I can’t lift her up from here,” he tells her, and he watches the moment realization dawns on her face.

“Peter, you  _ can’t, _ ” she says. “You’ll both get stuck.”

“Not if I lift her out and you take her from me,” Peter says determinedly, and MJ feels her face crumple for a moment as she realizes there’s no way to talk Peter out of this. She steels herself and takes the branch from Peter as he kicks off his shoes and heavy jacket, all while urging Morgan to hang on.

He’s suddenly grateful that Pepper and Tony have had Morgan in swimming lessons, even if she’s not the strongest swimmer.

Peter carefully slides along his stomach, reaching out for Morgan, mentally hoping the ice will hold enough for him to pull her up. But just as he gets close enough to grasp her, he both hears and feels the ice beneath him give way, and he has just enough presence of mind to take a deep breath before he’s plunged into ice-cold water.

The shock of it is almost enough to have him gasping, and for a second, Peter feels his body writhe, trying desperately to shiver off the biting cold. He feels his heart start to race painfully in his chest, and the only thing that breaks through the panic is the pressing thought of  _ Morgan Morgan Morgan. _

Peter presses her to himself protectively with one arm and swiftly kicks them to the surface, raising her above his head and out of the water. He can hear Morgan hyperventilating, terrified sobs wracking her body and Peter opens his eyes to spot MJ on her stomach near the edge.

He forces his body to move through the water to where MJ is, trying not to panic when his head is forced back under water for a second.  _ Get Morgan to MJ,  _ he thinks with determination. Another strong kick has them to where MJ is reaching out.

“MJ!” Peter pants breathlessly, desperate to get Morgan to safety. He feels the cold seeping into his very bones, and he wants to reassure the terrified girl in his arms, but everything is a haze of painful cold. “M-Mo, take MJ’s hand.”

Peter doesn’t even have time to panic about the possibility of MJ falling, too. He just tries to stay above the surface as MJ grabs Morgans wrists, forcefully pulling her from Peter’s arms. As MJ tries to haul her over the edge, the ice starts to break away, and MJ stops, Morgan suspended in the water at the edge.

“H-Hold on,” Peter gasps, taking in a big breath of air and trying not to think as he dives under the water and lifts Morgan onto the ice from below her. She kicks out reflexively, landing a blow on Peter’s head, and the unexpected pain causes Peter to inhale sharply, water flooding his lungs.

His lungs burn, and he only distantly registers that the weight of Morgan is no longer on him. He tries to stay calm, but his movements are sluggish as he tries to get himself back to the surface. Peter gives another kick, much weaker this time, but it’s enough to propel his head above the water.

A harsh cough tears through his body, trying to expel the water, and Peter opens his eyes long enough to see the blurry figure of MJ, now with Morgan safely in her arms.

“Go!” Peter says hoarsely, not wanting to risk the ice cracking under them again. MJ hesitates, Morgan cradled against her, but then she looks up at something Peter can’t see and turns back to him with a fierce look.

“Hold on! Help is coming,” she tells him, looking scared and guilty as she backs away with Morgan, making her way closer to land.

Knowing that his girls are safe, Peter focuses all of his energy on staying afloat, grabbing desperately at the ice, a whimper punching itself from his lungs when the ice continues to give way.

He continues to scrape at the ice, desperately hoping that he’ll reach some that’s thick enough to pull himself onto. Time has completely ceased to exist for Peter - what’s probably only been minutes feels like hours, and his body feels heavy with exhaustion and cold.

He commands his arms to reach onto the ice again, panicking when they don’t respond.  _ Come on, Parker,  _ Peter thinks to himself, trying yet again. This time, his arms obey him, and the ice, thankfully, doesn’t break away.

Peter lets out a harsh sob as he tries to pull himself up. His strength is completely sapped, though, and he only has enough energy left to cling to the ice, knowing that if he falls below the surface, he might not make it back up again.

Peter tries to move his legs, dread filling him when they don’t move, and he just hangs there, doing anything and everything he can not to focus on the feeling of ice clinging to his bones. He feels sluggish, the world blurring around him and he rests his head on the ice, not even registering the cold anymore.

He’s just so damn tired.

“PETER!” he hears someone yell, but it’s all muffled, and he lazily drags his eyes up to see a figure descending towards him.

Somewhere, in the back of his mind, he thinks,  _ This is not how his vacation was supposed to go. _

Then, there’s a force yanking him into the air, and, no longer having to hang onto anything, Peter lets himself go limp.

His eyes slip shut, and then there’s nothing.

* * *

The first thing Peter notices when he wakes up is how  _ heavy  _ he feels. He lays there - though he’s not really sure where  _ there  _ is yet - and just  _ breathes,  _ too tired to even attempt opening his eyes. His lungs burn slightly, and for a moment, Peter searches his brain, trying to figure out  _ why. _

The second thing he notices is that whatever he’s laying on is moving slightly. That realization gives him enough confusion to pry his eyes open.

There’s a blanket wrapped tightly around him, and Peter recognizes the room as the living room of the cabin. He shifts his weight, groaning at the way his body aches all over.

“Good morning, Sleeping Beauty,” says a voice above him, and Peter jolts. “Or I guess I should say ‘Good night,’ considering it’s nearly two in the morning.”

“Wha - ?” Peter slurs, trying to push himself up and failing. “Tony?”

“Easy, easy,” Tony says gently, helping Peter sit up. Peter flushes with embarrassment when he realizes he’d been laying on Tony’s lap. “How do you feel?”

Peter grimaces at how tired he feels, exhaustion settling in his bones. “Tired,” he tells Tony, brow furrowing. “ I don’t - why?”

At that, Tony gives him a concerned look. “Peter, do you remember what happened?”

Peter thinks for a moment, trying to ignore the burn in his lungs. “We’re in Canada on vacation. Me and MJ decided to go ice skating and then - “ He cuts off, the memories hitting him in the chest, knocking the air from him. His eyes widen, and he clutches at Tony’s shirt. “ _ Morgan! _ ”

“She’s okay, Peter,” Tony quickly reassures him. “Thanks to you,” he adds solemnly, looking Peter dead in the eye.

“Where is she?” Peter presses. “What about MJ?”

“They’re both sleeping. They’re both in Morgan’s room - Morgan refused to let go of her once we got them both changed into dry clothes. May was here with you until an hour ago, but she was exhausted so I convinced her to go to sleep for a bit,” Tony updates him.

Suitably convinced that everyone is safe, Peter relaxes back against the couch cushions, staring at Tony, guilt crawling up his throat.

For a moment, they’re both quiet, until Peter finally blurts, “I’m so sorry, Tony.”

Tony gives him a surprised look. “Whatever for?”

“I should’ve - I should’ve been more careful. I should have been more attentive to my surroundings and seen her sooner. I should have been quicker with getting her out. Or maybe I should have taken her with us in the first place so she wouldn’t have tried to follow us,” Peter says, words tumbling from his mouth. But Tony shakes his head, reaching out to tilt Peter’s chin up, forcing them to lock eyes.

“Peter, stop,” he says firmly. “If you’re at fault - which you’re not - then the rest of us are even more so. None of us saw Morgan slip out. No one could have known she was going to do that. And without you -” Tony cuts himself off and clears his throat a little before continuing. “If it weren’t for you, Peter, I would have lost my baby today.”

Peter sucks in a sharp breath, the weight of everything that’s happened finally sinking in. “O-Oh.”

“I almost lost you, too,” Tony says quietly, looking utterly wrecked. "We couldn't seem to get you warm, and your body couldn't really help you out since you can't thermoregulate." Tears burn at Peter’s eyes as he remembers the feeling of scrambling for ice, only to feel it give way beneath him again and again. Tony gently runs a thumb over Peter’s cheek, swiping at a stray tear. “Come here,” he whispers, pulling Peter close.

Peter presses his face into Tony’s shoulder, trying to shake the memory of icy water surrounding him, of fear that he would lose Morgan. Fear that he would lose himself. He trembles, and this time, it has nothing to do with the could. Tony brings a hand up to cup the back of Peter’s head, running his fingers through his curls the way he knows Peter likes, trying to ground him.

They stay like that for a moment, Tony murmuring reassurances to him until the residual fear starts to dissipate. Peter rests against his mentor, physically and emotionally exhausted.

Eventually, Peter lets out a dry, humorless laugh, eyes closed. “Some vacation, huh?”

Tony hums in agreement. “Not the type of excitement I had in mind, that’s for sure.”

“Next time, le’s go to the Bahamas. Somewhere hot,” Peter suggests tiredly, half-asleep.

“You got it, kid,” Tony tells him. “When you’re better, I’ll take you anywhere you want to go.”

With that, Peter falls asleep with a smile on his lips and the promise of better things to come.

**Author's Note:**

> It's like 2AM and my brain is fried, but I actually tried to edit this time, so that's a plus! I hope I delivered this prompt okay. I realized kinda belatedly that this was sort of a mixture of drowning/hypothermia, but I tried to put more emphasis on the cold lol. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed it.
> 
> Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated! As always, come talk to me on tumblr @tonystarkstan. :)


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